Aug 15 How 1:1 Social Media Engagement Impacts Your Brand

Customer Service vs. Reactive Engagement

Customer service is playing an increasingly important role to users on social media, and brands big and small are stepping up to the plate to provide support. According to research from Sprout Social, social media is now the top choice for users when attempting to receive customer care.

Understandably, placating and retaining upset customers is critical to any brand’s interest on social media. As a community manager, I have experienced first-hand the power of positive customer service. However, I believe one-on-one interactions between brands and users aren’t always given the recognition they deserve. It’s our belief here at Ignite that every interaction our clients receive on their social channels is worthy of a response (with a few exceptions, like spam or trolls), whether it’s a personalized thank you or simply ‘liking’ a consumer comment. Let’s review some examples of stellar one-on-one interactions and how they can positively impact brands.

Jolly Ranchers on Twitter

The delicious, fruity hard candy we know and love is also particularly good at one-on-one engagement on Twitter. By using a social listening campaign, Jolly Ranchers finds relevant tweets about their product and replies to users with a customized cartoon gif or image.

Social listening, or proactively reaching out to users who didn’t use a specific hashtag or directly @ mention you, isn’t for every brand, but taking the time to respond in a humorous, empathetic, or engaging way is a practice all brands can take to heart. The benefit of responding to comments on a one-to-one level may not be totally obvious or immediate, but it’s an excellent way to build relationships and increase brand loyalty with consumers over time. It shows the brand is truly listening to and acknowledging what customers have to say.

Jimmy John’s on Twitter

I have recognized Jimmy John’s in past blog posts for its attentive customer service on Twitter, but I also want to call out that the sandwich brand also takes time to engage one-on-one with its fans in a variety of original and imaginative ways.

Jimmy John’s isn’t afraid to have a little fun with its customers, whether it’s playing around with emojis, embedding images and gifs into responses, or making pop culture references.

Going beyond generic responses like, “Thanks for being a fan!” or “Thanks for ordering Jimmy John’s!” can make a huge difference to fans. Check out this fan’s reaction to Jimmy John’s clever response above.

A little creativity can go a long way when engaging with your individual customers. It’s always important to stick with your brand’s tone of voice, but don’t be afraid to really think outside the box when it comes to reactive engagement.

Mrs. Dash on Facebook

Sometimes, as a community manager, it becomes increasingly difficult over time to interact with every comment in a unique, personalized fashion. Many comments brands receive are repetitive and lack substance, like “Cool,” “Looks good,” “Yummy,” or “I like this,” for example.

That’s what makes Mrs. Dash’s Facebook engagement so amazing. Even the most basic of responses on Facebook posts do not go unanswered or unacknowledged.

In the face of occasionally bland comments, Mrs. Dash brings a little flavor (pun intended) to the reactive engagement game.

What other brands are excellent at one-on-one interactions? Let us know in the comments below.